Jeff Walker’s What Makes Work Worth It Story

When I started my business, it was out of desperation. I absolutely needed a change, and I needed to support my family. Over the years, my business and income grew, and a few years ago I went through a transition. It was no longer a question of supporting my family. I didn’t need to work anymore. Trust me, when you wake up one day and realize that you’ve reached all the business goals and the material goals that you ever thought you would reach in a lifetime – well, that’s a very strange and uncomfortable place.

When you don’t have to work anymore, what do you do? I’m not sure what you’ll do when you reach that spot (or, perhaps you already have?), but I started on a massive search for the meaning behind my business and my work – and what my “next chapter” would look like. This is what I found. I have two fundamental beliefs at the core of my business:

Entrepreneurs are the future of this world – they are the agents of change, they create prosperity and progress, they create jobs. They drive commerce and trade – which are the true engines of peace, abundance, and increased living standards.

Information businesses and online publishers are the future of education. Clearly there are many dedicated, hardworking, and talented teachers in our current education system. Unfortunately, that education system is largely broken; it can’t keep up with the pace of change in the current world. In almost any topic area, the most cutting-edge learning and training is found online, and that information is usually being created by small entrepreneurial online publishers.

My business and my work is all about training entrepreneurs (or would-be entrepreneurs) how to launch and grow their online businesses. Many of those businesses are information-based businesses where people are publishing about an area that they are an expert in or passionate about. What I do builds and supports entrepreneurs (the future of this world) and online publishers (the future of education).

Those are the two “big whys” behind what I do, and what gets me out of bed in the morning. (Somewhat tongue in cheek I sometimes say, this adds up to me working on “The Future of All Humanity”. There’s more than a little hyperbole in there, but also a bunch of truth.) I get the added benefit of what I call the “ripple effect”, as I help people build their businesses, I get to watch the positive impact they make in the world. So if I train 100 people, and each of their businesses help 1,000 people, then my work has now made a positive impact on 100,000 people. That kind of impact is downright intoxicating – and that’s what makes all the hard work worth it to me.

John Jantsch is a marketing consultant, speaker and author of Duct Tape Marketing and The Referral Engine and the founder of the Duct Tape Marketing Consultant Network.

What Other’s Are Saying!

“The Commitment Engine is a no-nonsense, hard-driving locomotive that can help turn dreamers into doers. Get on board!”—Steven Pressfield, author of The War of Art and Turning Pro

“Wow! This book hit me deep. It dives into the deepest core of meaning—the side of business that other books are scared to touch. A powerful mix of why and how.”—Derek Sivers, founder, CD Baby, sivers.org

“John Jantsch does it again! I’ve recommended The Referral Engine over and over again, and The Commitment Engine is another great resource to grow your business. Step 1: Commit to read this book—soon.”—Chris Guillebeau, author of The $100 Startup

“Not often enough does a book come along and inject a breath of fresh air into the world of business. This is one of those books.”—Guy Kawasaki, bestselling author of Enchantment; former chief evangelist of Apple

“Jantsch’s book is required reading for small-business owners. It will help you with lofty things like finding your higher purpose as well as the practical steps of making a commitment plan.”—Nancy Duarte, CEO, Duarte, Inc.; author of Slide:ology and Resonate

“As I read John’s book I kept thinking of Steve Jobs’s admonition that you must follow your heart first—and that if you’re not passionate about what you’re doing, you’ll give up just when the going gets tough. John has extended this idea to the entire company and shows business leaders how to ignite this same kind of passion and commitment throughout an organization.”—Verne Harnish, author of The Greatest Business Decisions of All Time and Mastering the Rockefeller Habits